Chris Higginbottom

b. 1977, London, England. Musically inclined, Higginbottom took piano lessons at the age of seven. A year later he joined the Waltham Abbey choir and in time became head chorister. Meanwhile, his interest shifted to jazz and he took lessons as a drummer from the age of 11. He was spotted by the Essex Youth Jazz Orchestra and he also played with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. After studying at London’s Royal Academy of Music, he graduated in 2000. Higginbottom had begun playing in a quartet he led with saxophonist Sammy Mayne and this group won the 2000 Perrier Young Jazz Band Of The Year award. Notably, Higginbottom played in the early 00s with the contemporary jazz quartet led by saxophonist Ian East and pianist David Beebee, of which the fourth member is bass player Robin Mullarkey, appearing with the group on a 1999 Beeboss Records date that resulted in the acclaimed Momentito. Higginbottom also played with Guy Barker and Tim Garland. In 2002 he went to New York, there performing with musicians such as Gary Bartz and Ingrid Jensen. He returned to the UK for a tour promoting his 2005 release, One. This album, by Higginbottom’s New York quartet, features Seamus Blake (saxophone), Aaron Goldberg (piano) and Orlando Le Fleming (bass). He draws his repertoire from his own compositions, which include ‘Stray Dates’, ‘She Walks In Beauty’ and ‘Sunday’, and from music written by noted earlier generation jazz musicians including Dizzy Gillespie and Gil Fuller (‘Manteca’), Herbie Hancock (‘The Sorcerer’), Bud Powell (‘Un Poco Loco’) and Wayne Shorter (‘Blues A La Carte’). By the mid-00s, Higginbottom was widely acclaimed as an important contributor to the currently flourishing contemporary jazz scenes of both London and New York. (NB: Not to be confused with the US CCM singer of the same name.)